Here are your Apple rumors and news items for Wednesday:
iPad 2 Unveiling: Where there’s smoke there’s fire. News on Tuesday that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Store employees were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements in anticipation of an Apple media “event” turned out to be true. A report at The Loop confirmed that on March 2 Apple will unveil the debut of the second-generation iPad. Rumors circulating since last fall have indicated the new tablet will be thinner than its predecessor and will include both front- and rear-facing cameras. It is unknown, however, if the tablet will be released in April as was previously expected or if it will be delayed until June as a DigiTimes report suggested on Tuesday.
iAd Price Cut: A Wednesday report from Digital Daily‘s John Paczkowski reveals that Apple has haved its minimum ad buy price on its iAd mobile advertising platform from $1 million to $500,000, suggesting that the company needs to bulk up its base of advertisers fast. A TechCrunch reported on Feb. 10 that advertising executives and developers are claiming iAd’s fill rate — the number of ad spaces on Apple device software that are filled with an active campaign — has fallen to 6% from 18% at the beginning of 2011. Business Week projected last September that Apple would control 21% of the mobile advertising market by the beginning of this year.
Geniuses Come to Business: An Apple Store employee meeting planned for Monday may not just be a preparation for the iPad 2’s release. A Tuesday report from BGR says employees will also be briefed on a new service called “Joint Venture” that will extend Genius Bar customer service to Apple’s business clients. Businesses that subscribe to the new service will receive one-on-one customer service from Apple’s “geniuses” over the phone or they will be able to schedule a time for an in-house visit. The consumer Genius Bar requires all consultations to be done in person at a retail store-based Genius Bar.
At the time of publication, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.
